UAE vs India T20, Asia Cup 2025

Big Picture: UAE vs India

The Asia Cup 2025 returns with a clash that embodies cricket’s unpredictability –
UAE taking on
India, the reigning T20 World Champions. On paper, this looks like a mismatch.
But with coach Lalchand Rajput, who famously guided India to their first-ever T20 World Cup victory in 2007,
UAE have reason to believe they can dream big. For Rajput, this fixture is personal: his adopted team now faces
the cricketing giant of his homeland.

For India, the break from international cricket has been unusually long – 35 days without action.
The return stage could hardly be bigger, as they prepare to defend their dominance in a format where
they have set historic records. Yet, the UAE approach this game with the hunger of underdogs – and that is always dangerous.

Form Guide & Team Context

• India: WWLWW (last five T20Is)
• UAE: LLLLL (last five T20Is)

While India come into the Asia Cup as clear favorites, their opponents UAE are no pushovers.
In recent months, UAE came close to upsetting Afghanistan in a tri-series and earned a memorable bilateral win against Bangladesh.
Those flashes of fight highlight their potential to punch above their weight, even if consistency has been missing.

Spotlight Players: Shubman Gill & Simranjeet Singh

The spotlight for India will be firmly on Shubman Gill. Returning to the T20I fold as
vice-captain, Gill is expected to open the innings with Abhishek Sharma. After amassing 650 runs in the IPL
at a strike rate of 155.87, Gill’s explosive form could be decisive in this tournament.

On the UAE side, watch out for Simranjeet Singh, a left-arm spinner who once bowled to Gill
in Punjab nets. Having settled in Dubai during the Covid-19 lockdown, Simranjeet now faces the surreal challenge
of stopping his childhood counterpart in international cricket.

Key Talking Points

Sanju Samson’s Selection Dilemma

One major question for India is whether Sanju Samson will feature. If Gill opens with Abhishek Sharma,
the middle-order balance becomes critical. Jitesh Sharma may be preferred as wicketkeeper-batter, but Samson’s
form and popularity keep him in the conversation.

India’s Bowling Combination

India face another tactical call: Do they go with four specialist bowlers plus two all-rounders, or adopt a
three-plus-three balance? Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy could form a double-spin threat, while
Jasprit Bumrah leads the pace attack.
The decision will likely depend on Dubai’s pitch conditions.

Probable XIs

India XI

Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy

UAE XI

Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Rahul Chopra (wk), Asif Khan, Muhammad Farooq, Harshit Kaushik, Muhammad Zohaib, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Rohid, Simranjeet Singh

Pitch, Conditions & History

The Dubai pitches for the Asia Cup are expected to be fresher than those used during the Champions Trophy,
offering balance between bat and ball. The oppressive heat will test both teams’ stamina.
Historically, India have dominated UAE: they’ve met once in T20Is (2016 Asia Cup) and India cruised to a nine-wicket win.
In ODIs, India also enjoy a 3-0 record. But as cricket has shown countless times, history doesn’t always dictate the present.

Why This Matters

For India, this fixture is about reasserting their dominance ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup defense.
For UAE, it is about proving they belong on the big stage. With Rajput’s insider knowledge of Indian cricket culture,
UAE will look to script what could be the biggest upset of 2025.

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